Author of The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival and the online course SHTF Survival Boot Camp
The pejorative term for police officers here is “dogs”. You have a different pejorative word for that.
I know a lot of “dogs”.
Dogs will pull you over while you are driving a car and hold you while he found something wrong about your car, then he tries to write you a ticket, but slowly, suggesting that ticket is for example 100 USD, but you can avoid it by bribing him with 20 USD.
Dogs also will come on your 911 call, for example, for a domestic violence call, but they park their car in front of the building and wait for the violence to calm down. Then they come in and talk with the family, trying to purposely inform the victim (the woman, for example) that it was nothing, and that she kinda deserved it.
Dogs have their own “workers” on the street here, small-time criminals or drug dealers, who work under their protection, dealing drugs, or guns, and paying the dogs a percentage.
Dogs here work their job in their shifts, and after their regular hours, work for local drug lords, gun dealers, or simply for organized crime members as a protection or information source.
Then there are the kind of dogs who are police simply because they like feeling of power over other folks, they like to bring power over other people through the uniform of police. Right or wrong does not mean anything important to them. It is about a feeling of power. It is about doing violence because of the love of violence.
That makes them dogs.
And yes, I have seen regular prewar “dogs” turning to war criminals in war. It is that kind of person who ends up being the worst kind actually.
Actually, to simplify it more, it is about what kind of person you are. If you are a bad person, the uniform and “law” behind it can simply strengthen evil in you, or in other words, it can pull the evil to surface.
Then there are police officers.
Police officers are usually people who joined to make a difference. Or to “serve and protect”.
I know a lot of them too.
People who wear uniforms of police, usually underpaid, under-equipped, and immobilized by a whole set of rules and laws that are often contradictory. These people are just trying to do their job, and even more than that, they are trying to make a difference.
I have nothing than the highest respect for them.
The generalization that all cops are “dogs”, or all cops are police officers who serve and protect is very wrong, just like any other generalization in these hard and “interesting” times.
I do know that a man who should be highly trained must know that by obstructing breathing, and blood flow to the brain for a few minutes will for sure kill a man.
The protests
Protesting is a way that people try express their feelings in an effective way to try and make changes.
The problem here is that protests usually go in some weird direction, so you could find yourself easily in a situation where you go out carrying a cardboard sign with a good)message, but in a half-hour, you end up in the middle of a crowd that is breaking and looting, and you as a prepper simply do not want to be there.
Simply do not be there.
Another problem is that we (again) live in “interesting” times, so any event that sparks huge emotions among folks, for example like rage can be a trigger for something bigger.
Even more, it can be used by someone as a starting event for much bigger sh*t. Usually, it’s only years later that you’ll find out that someone or some group, faction, or whoever played you like a violin, counting on your feelings of rage. I have seen this before and have seen where it ended up.
From the survivalist point of view, any event that leads to high polarization between people on political, racial, national, or any other way is a major risk for sparking something bigger.
I am not saying the event that caused these protests is not horrible and not important. On the contrary, it is very horrible and important. But again, from the prepper point of view, calm down and watch where you gonna find yourself when bullets start to fly, even rubber ones.
Go back to some lessons
Let’s forget (it is hard, but let’s try for the moment) about the details that started this particular event, and go back to some basics:
- In events where so many emotions, especially rage are involved, and there is the possibility of violence, the best advice is simple: do not be there.
- Stating publicly your opinion is democracy or freedom of speech today. But tomorrow, in changed circumstances, it can turn you into a target.
- Step back and try to recognize how, together with a whole bunch of existing sharp polarizations (wear a mask or don’t), this new polarization can complicate things. Recognize where it can lead.
- Ask yourself: who can use this situation and for what purpose? And what does that mean for you? What can you do about that?
The event that unleashes devastation
Go back and try to watch and judge the events you see from the prepper point of view, not an emotional one. Because you are a prepper and your goal is survival.
I have seen this before and it led to SHTF in my country.
We are living in the last couple of months in a very delicate world after all that has happened and is still happening around us. With all the turmoil, the bad economy, the job losses, and the uncertain future all that is needed to cause things to crash down is just one spark.
That spark can be deliberately used, or it can be a chain of events that will unleash even more devastating things that are boiling under the surface.
That spark may lead to chaos.
About Selco:
Selco survived the Balkan war of the 90s in a city under siege, without electricity, running water, or food distribution.
In his online works, he gives an inside view of the reality of survival under the harshest conditions. He reviews what works and what doesn’t, tells you the hard lessons he learned, and shares how he prepares today. He never stopped learning about survival and preparedness since the war. Regardless of what happens, chances are you will never experience extreme situations as Selco did. But you have the chance to learn from him and how he faced death for months.
- Read more of Selco’s articles here.
- Buy his PDF books here.
- Buy his best-selling paperbacks, SHTF Survival Stories and The Dark Secrets of Survival here.
- Take advantage of a deep and profound insight into his knowledge by signing up for his online courses SHTF Survival Boot Camp and learn the inside story of what it was really like when the SHTF with his online course One Year in Hell.
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Real survival is not romantic or idealistic. It is brutal, hard and unfair. Let Selco take you into that world.
pretty insane. never imagined that civic leaders would just allow antifa to loot and burn with impunity.
this won’t end well. martial law by independence day. we’ll embrace it too.
then the fun really begins…
I’m going to remember you predicted that. I hope you’re wrong, but I’m sure not going to call you a liar…now or then.
The Strong Delusion and The Mystery of Iniquity are upon us now.
Worse is sure to follow. Maybe not tomorrow, but sooner than anyone would like to be sure. And most will call it “Good”. They will murder and say they do God’s Will…and believe it to be so.
Even so, Lord Jesus. Come quickly!
Don’t leave home without a hi-capacity CCW on your hip, and an AR15 and plate carrier in the trunk of your car.
Keep a heightened state of awareness.
There will be people out there looking for any victim to take out their rage on. Don’t let it be you.
Sounds like good advice for some people in certain areas of the country right now but not in my area. For most people the world outside is no more dangerous than it was before.
Self deception is the worst deception. Be warned.
No self deception here my friend. Just truth. My area, like the vast majority of the country, has no civil unrest. No need for me to carry my AR in my vehicle right now. Just my handgun, with extra mags of course. But thanks for the warning.
The problem is you can’t tell a “dog” from a police officer by looking. That problem is simply solved by taking Selco’s advice and not being around them…period.
Don’t be where they are and don’t be what they’re looking for.
Stay away from crowds is still survival rule number one.
The fact is 99% of police officers in the U.S. are not “dogs” like the ones described in this article. May be if you were around them like I have been you would find out that most are not like the ones who end up on the news for doing bad things.
The general rule: :10% of everything is crap” holds true with the LEO community. I know a lot of local LEOs. Most are great people that want to serve and protect. A small percentage are “dogs”
I think that’s a more realistic appraisal, but given the adage that one rotten apple spoils the barrel, I think we might need to amend that number upwards over time.
Say 20-25% ?
I agree. Since you know a lot of LEOs then you also know that, in general, their job is not easy especially having to put up with the average citizen. I could not do it. I would not take the crap that I seen from protesters dragging cops around. I would have at least used a baton on them if not shot them. I do not know how those cops did not retaliate. Like I said, I could not do their job since I would be accused of police brutality.
“Maybe” your familiarity with them has colored your objectivity. I will not argue percentages with you, as it is impossible to prove. One thing is certain…they are NOT 100% pure as the driven snow.
And yes, I HAVE known some good cops in my life. I’ve met more bad ones. That’s been my experience. It’s a good enough reason to limit my exposure to them, regardless of their moral character.
It’s called risk assessment and mitigation.
So you think that after their regular hours, that more than a few percentage of cops work for local drug lords, gun dealers, or simply for organized crime members as a protection or information source? And that they also take bribes to not to give you a ticket? So what percentage of cops would you say that do those things which is also in the article above? I would say a very low percentage.
You should learn a little word called “extrapolation”.
The misdeeds of authorities in Bosnia are not the same deeds of American authorities…generally.
The idea and the principle are the same, however. Abuse of authority under color of Law. Not only is it a crime, it is a felony in the vast majority of American jurisdictions.
You’re still trying to play with percentages and statistics, which doesn’t hold water with me.
“There are 3 kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies…and statistics.” – Mark Twain
Every time a cop lies on the witness stand to obtain a conviction is an abuse of power under color of Law.
Every time a cop forges a probable cause warrant to produce a desired result is abuse of power under color of Law.
And yes…every time a cop pulls someone over for driving while black is an abuse of power under color of Law.
If YOU want to pretend that the clothes make the man, that’s your business. It holds no water with me.
I judge EVERYONE on the content of their character. Nothing else. And until a determination has been made? EVERYONE is suspect.
This is how Democratic Socialists attain power, first it was attacking Trump supporters and now it’s riot, looting, and burning their own sh*tholes. The Democrat Governors and Mayors that the clueless farm animals elected will be complicit. Why call the National Guard to quell the riot, just wait till total anarchy finally happens in all the major cities and you can call on the UN Peacekeepers… we know how that ends. I suggest you find a nice lamppost and get some stout rope, your last act should be rewarding the political class that sold you out.
UN Peacekeepers are a joke. Small in number and not very well equipped. The vast majority are from third world countries. I would be more afraid of the National Guard.
So you’re more afraid of your own countrymen than the Chinese?
Good to know…Karen.
You should be too if you had any brains.
Whatever, Karen. Don’t you have an HOA meeting to go to?
Is that the best you can do? Have you done any serious research about the UN Peacekeepers? If you did you would be more afraid of the 450,000 National Guard troops that are in the U.S. and not a few thousand Chinese UN Peacekeepers.
“a few thousand”? “peacekeepers”? BWAHAHA!
Try 200 MILLION.
SOLDIERS.
80% of which are ON RECORD stating they’d have no problem killing EVERY man, woman and child in America.
China only has a few thousand UN Peacekeepers. Not 200 million. There are only about 100,000 UN Peacekeepers in the world. Do your homework and use your brains. We are comparing 450,000 in the National Guard, many who served in our military, to 100,000 not very well equipped third world UN Peacekeepers. You are bring up the Chinese military which has nothing to do with what I original said.
Please stop name-calling readers and picking fights. Seriously. This is not acceptable behavior here.
OK. Will do.
There are greater forces trying to take advantage of these incidents.
There is no reason for violent protests in cities that had nothing to do with this. Except to create Anarchy.
It won’t go to far in my state, as we are pretty much all armed and patriotic.
This creates a unique situation. Citizens will step in and help the Police, if they get into trouble with a bad guy. But the Police also realize that it cuts both ways. So they are a lot more careful in what they do.
So the Police generally do a good job.
Then there is the aspect of a possible Vigilante response to looters and trouble makers. Citizens here tend to defend their homes and property. So rioting and looting is not a good idea and most of the “usual suspect” groups know that and stay on a low key basis.
The big riots and troubles always tend to happen in areas with a great amount of gun control restrictions. There is no need to wonder why that is.
But it is not about the guns themselves or the lack of legally having and carrying them. It is the mindset of the citizens, the state and local politicians and the Police.
In Places( in the US) where having guns are not restricted, the people tend to be more involved in protecting themselves, each other and even the political government and their officials ( as long as they serve the people). So it keeps things on the right course.
This is where we in the US, tends to differ from other Nations. It will take more than a “spark” to set things off in the US. It will take a major event; like gun confiscation, fema camp roundups or a trashing of the Constitution in favor of another form of Government.
So if you find yourself in a gun restricting state, you might want to move to another state. But it would be better to rally the people to change your state into a gun respecting state.
It does change things for the better in the long run.
Most of the time these events are done by the same Govt that clams to be protecting you..first you fake the killing of a black guy by a white man in a black area, then you bus in the provocateurs to start the fuse,once the craziness gets going to a full speed you come in and save the day and look like the good Govt hero and the sheep are so so thankful you save the day…then rinse, wash and do it again.
I understand that many of the riots are being run by Illegals from south of our border and Antifa types. Flags from some of the Communist counties are being waved. Back when “Barry” Obamao was allowing mass numbers of young military age men to enter the Divided States of America , many of us were concerned that they were Commie infiltrators sent to stir up anarchy . Just look at the pictures on Breitbart, more white/brown skins than black.
Some people are idiots. Protests are fine, but burning down the stores in your area is just stupid. And they wonder why no one wants to open a store there?
It’s racism, don’t you know.
The American Tet Offensive has Begun which may lead to Martial Law, US Troops operating within CONUS, the Weakening of the Economy or Union & Ultimately followed by an “Intervention” by the UN & or Invasion from Mexico by Chinese, MS13, Jihadis, ISIS, Hezbollah, etc. – Watch for India/China War, China Attacks Taiwan, some “International Incident” that sparks a Wider Military Conflict. Listen to Selco – Never tell anyone you don’t know Anything about Anything – just be Bland, Normal, Boring & Average. Keep Prepping, Pray for Peace & Prepare for WAR. Cheers!
Beware of neighbors who previously never gave you the time of day that suddenly show great interest towards you and ask inappropriate questions..ie: your political beliefs, religious beliefs etc.
More likely than not they are 5th Column wannabes. Mark them well.
Act accordingly.
You mean we shouldn’t go the the demonstration to get our fair share of abuse like Mick Jaegger said?
Mr. Selco, Thank you. Excellent questions for the mindset. I am grateful for your insight.
This morning, a local black man was arrested for assaulting a LEO in a town 8 miles away. By afternoon, people were in the streets and shutting down the freeway. Now they’ve set a fire engine on fire at dusk. It’s hard for me not to believe this hasn’t been planned and even provoked unnecessarily.
Selco is right, don’t be there.
– from zerohedge.com comments section (a great place to learn truth)
Zerohedge is also a great place to read fear porn.
So why don’t you go there, Karen?
Hey Charlie. If you go there then you know what I said is true. No need to be an ass.
Seems to me you’d feel more at home in that feces flinging environment. I can tell you go there quite often.
Try wiping your feet before you barge into Daisy’s house. You’ll get more respect that way.
And NO. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Or why you’re here. Nor do I give a furry rat’s behind.
What I do know is that you sound like a Karen to me. Did your HOA excommunicate you or what?
Well you started it.
Did I? I don’t think so.
But…
Alex. I’ll take “Things a Karen would say” for $2000!
You started it when you accused Daisy of peddling fear porn…Karen.
And…you and I are done here.
I just made the statement that Zerohedge has some fear porn and they do. I did not say Daisy is peddling fear porn. And we are not done.
Paul, I wasn’t offended – I didn’t think you were insulting me. 🙂
Correct. I was insulting ZeroHedge. 🙂
Seriously? One Mark Twain quote has sent me into moderation Hell?
I would have thought it very mild, considering the current topics of discussion.
Whatev’s
Does Charles need a hug?
Seems like you’ve got a good handle on the current situation and are laying down sound advice.
Kudos.
Life today is a game of musical chairs. The best way to win is not to dance to their tune and stay in your chair.
Position is EVERYTHING!
I want to know more about neighborhoods. Within cities, what kinds of neighborhoods fared best middle and worst? In Yugoslavia, Argentina, Arab “Spring” were small cities any safer per capita than large ones? How about small towns? The country?
In normal or good times, the more rural, the less crime per capita. What about bad times?